fennel
fennel Lexical Profile
• noun
The crisp, bulbous leaf base of the Florence fennel cultivar, having a mild anise or licorice flavor and eaten raw in salads or cooked as a vegetable.
"She thinly sliced the fresh fennel bulb and tossed it with blood orange segments and olive oil."
The aromatic, anise-flavored dried seeds or feathery green fronds of the fennel plant, widely used as a culinary spice and seasoning in sausages, breads, and fish dishes.
"The Italian sausage is seasoned generously with toasted fennel seeds and crushed red pepper."
A tall, hardy perennial herb of the carrot family (Foeniculum vulgare), native to the Mediterranean region, bearing feathery bluish-green foliage and flat-topped umbels of small, fragrant golden-yellow flowers.
"Wild fennel grows abundantly along coastal hillsides, brightening the summer landscape with clusters of yellow blossoms."
• Rhymes for fennel
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English finule, derived from Latin faeniculum ('fennel'), literally 'little hay', a diminutive of faenum ('hay'), referencing the appearance and scent of its fine, feathery dried leaves.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.